


Perfect Fit

by Obsessivecompulsivereadr



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: M/M, Malec argue a little bit, references to rape and abuse, spoilers for Dust and Shadows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 07:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9537941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obsessivecompulsivereadr/pseuds/Obsessivecompulsivereadr
Summary: Alec can hardly believe Magnus sometimes.  He knows that Magnus is powerful.  He feels the magic coursing through him every time Magnus heals him or steadies him when he’s using the parabatai rune.  He can feel the emotional and physical strength inside Magnus every time they touch.  But still… sometimes Magnus does something to remind him that the beautiful warlock is incomparable to anyone Alec has ever known.





	

**Author's Note:**

> the ''summary'' is in Alec's pov, but most of the story is in Magnus's

Magnus is on the balcony practicing his forms and meditations when he feels Alec push past the wards around his loft.  He wonders sometimes why Alec never asks why he’s given immediate access to Magnus’s home, but the warlock is just patiently waiting for the day the curiosity overtakes the shadowhunter’s stoic manner.  

Alec is one of the few who could access the loft at any time.  Most downworlders knock, just as a measure of politeness due his status as High Warlock.  Magnus doesn’t think there’s ever been a shadowhunter who would even stop and consider knocking.  It’s a product of their view of themselves as superior beings who give permission for things rather than ask permission from others.  Very few shadowhunters prove themselves trustworthy enough for Magnus, simply because of their attitudes.

Alec isn’t like that with Magnus, which is the very reason why he has a pass to enter as he pleases.  It warms Magnus inside to know that Alec feels safe here and comes to him when he’s upset instead of pushing him away.  

“Hey, Magnus,” Alec says as he steps out on the balcony. 

“Hello, Alexander,” Magnus replies as he continues with his forms.  

“What do you know about a warlock named Rouse?” Alec asks as he leans against the railing and watches him.  

Magnus stops.  

Rouse is powerful, but she’s also very bad news.  She likes to dabble in things she has no business playing with, and he’s been forced to handle a few of her crisis situations with mundanes as well as other downworlders who’d been taken in by her schemes.  

Alec looks guilty.   _ Again _ .  

Magnus sighs and wonders if there is ever a time when Alec doesn’t look guilty.  

“What happened?” Magnus puts his zippered hoodie back on and gestures for Alec to follow him inside.  

“Clary happened,” Alec replies as he follows.  

Magnus turns to him, “So she decided on Rouse for her ill-thought out plan?”  

“You knew?” 

“About Rouse, no.  About the fact that Clary wanted to bring her mother back from the dead, yes.  I told her and Simon that it was dark magic that should not be taken lightly.”  

“She didn’t take it lightly,” Alec offers.  

“What happened?” Magnus opens a bottle of water and takes a drink, and smirks at Alec’s look of disbelief.  “What?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink anything but alcohol,” Alec shrugs with a shy little smile. 

“Alcohol doesn’t mix well with my exercises.  Water keeps me from becoming dehydrated.  While dehydration won’t actually kill me, it has unpleasant side effects and makes me lose concentration.”  

Alec nods in understanding.  

“Now, tell me what happened?  And why you’re here to break the news instead of Biscuit herself.  Not that I don’t very much enjoy your visits.”  

“Everybody’s fine,” Alec begins.  

Magnus puts down his water and stares at him.  “Any conversation that has to begin with those words…” 

“Wait.  Let me finish,” Alec interrupts but looks sheepish, as if he is worried that Magnus will be angry with him over something Clary did.  Unless…

“You helped her?” Magnus sighs loudly and rubs a hand over the back of his neck.  

Dealing with shadowhunters seems to be the quickest route to a headache for him.  He can heal them easily, but what good is healing one headache when he inevitably turns around to find another shadowhunter waiting to give him another one?

“I had to,” Alec argues.

“Why?  Because you felt guilty for something that wasn’t even your fault to begin with?” Magnus knows he’s lecturing, but at this point, he’s not even going to be apologetic about it.  

Not when shadowhunters play around with things they don’t understand.

“Yes,” Alec’s voice rises defensively.  “It doesn’t matter how many people tell me it wasn’t my fault.  It doesn’t matter if Clary herself tells me that.  It was  _ my fault _ .” 

“Was it Isabelle’s fault that the demon used her to try and kill you?” Magnus snaps.  

“No,” Alec sighs.  

“How about the mundanes who were possessed?  Was it their fault the demon used their bodies to kill?  Was it Raj’s fault that Lydia got hurt?”  

“No,” Alec replies, but with his usual stubborn reluctance.  

“Then why would it be your fault if not theirs?” 

“Because I’m supposed to be stronger than that!” Alec stalks away from him.  

Magnus sits and thinks quietly for a moment, “Why in the world would you assume that demon possession has anything at all to do with strength?” 

“It has to do with  _ my _ strength.  I should have been stronger than that.  I’m  _ supposed _ to be a leader.  I’m  _ supposed _ to be someone people can rely on.” 

“And you are, Alexander,” Magnus stands and walks over to him.  He places a hand on Alec’s chest and looks at him.  “You are one of the strongest people I’ve ever known.  But strength has nothing to do with this.  This demon was designed to get past everyone.  If you can’t look Isabelle in the eye and believe her to be at fault, then you cannot allow yourself to take the blame.  If you do, then Valentine wins this round.   _ He’s _ at fault.  He created the demon.  He got it access to the Institute.  Not you,”  Magnus says softly.  “It was never you.”  

Alec closes his eyes and puts one hand over Magnus’s.  “Thank you.  I’m still not sure I agree with that, but thank you.”   

“No thanks are necessary.  But would I be correct in assuming that you promised Clary that you would do whatever it took to make it up to her?”  Magnus asks.

Alec opens his eyes and nods.  

“Blowing up the very ground you stand on, right?”  

Alec looks away in embarrassment, “Something like that.”  

“Now that we’ve established that, tell me what happened,” Magnus starts to pull away but Alec continues to hold his hand, the slight tug a signal that he doesn’t want Magnus to be further away.  

Magnus slides his hand up and over Alec’s shoulder and down to hold his other hand, “Go on.”  

“Rouse is creating a warlock factory.”  

Magnus closes his eyes in fury.  He and the other warlocks have already vetoed ideas like this.  Mundanes are to be protected and not used as breeders.  While warlock numbers  _ are _ dwindling, it’s not a justification for this kind of action.  As he opens his eyes, he knows that his demon mark is showing.  When he’s angry, the mark shows quickly and sometimes against his will.  

Alec stares, but it’s not a look of horror on his face.  He seems fascinated, and Magnus holds a breath as Alec reaches a hand towards his face.  Alec touches him, his thumb sliding over Magnus’s cheek and his fingers flexing gently against his chin.  

“Wow,” Alec breathes out, and then looks embarrassed.  

“I didn’t actually plan for that to be the way you were exposed to my mark.”  

“That’s okay though.  Your eyes are beautiful,” Alec says softly and pulls his hand away, though it seems to be reluctantly. 

Magnus wants to kiss him so much for that opinion, but he’s unsure if now is the right time.  They have rogue warlocks to discuss.  

“What kind of factory and what can I do to help?” Magnus asks.  

“Well, Aldertree actually forbid me to let you get involved,” Alec says, with his usual level of sarcasm, complete with the eye-roll Magnus has since become very fond of.  

Magnus raises an eyebrow, “ _ Forbid _ you.”  

“Yes, he seems to be under the impression that I can stop you from doing anything,” Alec laughs wryly.  

“To  _ let  _ me.”  Magnus takes a deep breath to process his anger over this.  

The High Warlock of Brooklyn position itself deems this his business.  To think that Aldertree felt he had the authority to prevent Magnus from assisting is ludicrous.  

Alec raises his hands in defeat, “I tried to tell him that  _ I  _ don’t  _ let you  _ do anything.”  

Magnus lifts a hand to cut him off, “I will deal with that issue later.  Now what is Rouse up to?"

"Clary said she had a demon living in her home, and she was manipulating mundanes, forcing them, kidnapping some of them… into being warlock breeders. The demon was raping the women and impregnating them.  Then the mundanes minds were wiped and they were either set free or kept if they have the ability to have another child.  Then the warlocks were placed with families or kept in her home.”  

The warlocks cannot allow this to continue.  Rouse has to be found and stopped, possibly eliminated if that becomes necessary.  

“Is Biscuit alright?”  Magnus blames himself a little, for not being sterner with her about that decision.  But he can’t dwell on that since he’d just lectured Alec for assuming someone else’s blame.

“Yeah.  She killed the demon.  Jace was impressed.”  

“Good.  So we just have to deal with Rouse then?”  

“Yes.  The Clave has already intervened though.  The warlock children there have been taken to the Institute.  The pregnant mundane there will be treated in the infirmary and will be allowed to stay until the warlock is born.  But Rouse got away.  And Magnus,” Alec chokes up at his name.  

“What?”  

“There’s a little girl.  Clary said her name is Madzie.  She is so small.  Izzy said Rouse portaled her out.  Said Madzie was better off with her.  But how could she be?” Alec asks softly.  

“She isn’t better off with her.  Not with someone who would rear her to believe things in contradiction to the principles warlocks live by.”  

“She saved me,” Alec swallows and looks away briefly.  “Rouse knocked me out.  But Izzy said she stopped Rouse from killing me.”  

“She has a good soul, it sounds like.  We’ll find her.” 

“But how?” 

“I can track her if I can get access to her belongings.”  

“Aldertree won’t let you near the place.”  

“Well, I can’t portal in, so you’ll just have to show me.”  

“Will you get in trouble again?” Alec asks.

“When have I ever not been in trouble with The Clave?” Magnus dismisses.  “That little girl is more important than their misguided ideals.” 

“And the children who’ve been placed in homes already?  What about them?”  

“The warlocks will check into that.  If we find the homes are with good people, then we may vote to leave the children with them.  If the homes are dangerous, then those children will be removed and we will find other homes for them.”  

“And Madzie?”

Magnus cups Alec’s cheek, “I will not let anything happen to her.”   

  
  
  


Alec can hardly believe Magnus sometimes.  He knows that Magnus is powerful.  He feels the magic coursing through him every time Magnus heals him or steadies him when he’s using the parabatai rune.  He can feel the emotional and physical strength inside Magnus every time they touch.  But still… sometimes Magnus does something to remind him that the beautiful warlock is incomparable to anyone Alec has ever known.

He stands and watches as Magnus interacts with Madzie, and he feels a smile come across his face.  He knows underestimating Magnus is a bad idea, and Aldertree seems to completely understand that now, after seeing Magnus eliminate Rouse with barely a flick of power.  

Rouse may have been powerful, but she was a minor warlock.  She’d been given the choice to surrender, and she’d made the wrong choice.

Seeing Magnus in the middle of magical combat is probably one of the most intimidating and arousing experiences Alec will ever have in his life.  

And now Alec can’t help but marvel at how easily he charms Madzie.  The little girl shows him her gills, and she shrieks with delight at seeing Magnus’s cat eyes. It’s a precious interaction, and Alec is grateful to be there to witness it.  

He watches as Magnus picks her up and then heads towards him.  He greets Madzie when they get close enough, and the little girl smiles at him.  

“Hello, sweetheart,” Alec says. 

“Hi, Alec-sander.”  She stumbles a bit over the pronunciation, but Magnus just grins at him.

Alec’s heart melts.  He smiles at her and then looks up at Magnus with a question he can’t bear to ask in front of her.  

“Madzie, tell Alexander where you will be staying from now on.” Magnus looks at him hesitantly, as if the answer she gives will be something Alec might not approve of. 

“With you,” Madzie uses her finger to point at Magnus.  “Silly.  Don't you remember?”  

“My mistake.  I’m very sorry, but my memory isn’t as good as it used to be,” Magnus smiles at her.  

“With you?” Alec asks softly.

Magnus takes a deep breath and steels his expression.  “With me.  For now, it’s considered short term, but I doubt it would take much convincing for the warlocks to vote that she stay with me.”  

He looks as if he needs to defend the decision, but he  _ has _ to know that Alec would be supportive of it.  Magnus is the perfect person to care for her, love her, and teach her how to use her magic.  He deserves the chance to have that little girl in his life, and she definitely deserves the right to be loved the way that Magnus loves.  They’re a perfect fit, with or without Alec in the picture.  

Though he definitely hopes he’s still in the picture.  

"I can’t think of a better place for her to be,” Alec smiles at him.  

Magnus huffs out a breath, seemingly in relief, “Well my darling, we should get home.  I have a bedroom to create for you, and we should get you food and a bath.” 

She nods happily, her curly brown hair bobbing around her adorable face, and Alec feels his stomach flip in response.  She’s full of light right now, and Alec can’t help but wonder what she’s gone through.  They don’t know if she’s been hurt or abused, or if she’s been catered to yet ignored.  But the idea of living with Magnus makes her smile, and as far as Alec is concerned, that makes it the only logical decision.  

Magnus creates a portal nearby and carries her over to it.  “Are you coming, Alexander?” 

Alec smiles at the offer and begins to follow.  

“Alec-sander has to come,” Madzie agrees and beckons to him.

“Of course I’ll come,” Alec moves forward and brushes a kiss against her cheek.  “You saved me.  You’re my hero, and I will follow you wherever you go,” Alec bows towards her, making her giggle.  

“You saved me too,” Madzie says.  

“I believe I may have had a little something to do with it,” Magnus teases and tickles her.  

“Of course, silly,” Madzie smiles shyly.  

“Madzie, would you like to hear a secret?” Alec asks, as he keeps his eyes on Magnus.

“What?” she replies.  

“Magnus saved me, too,” Alec says.  

Magnus’s eyes look tearful, though he composes himself quickly.   

“You did?” Madzie looks up at Magnus with wonder.  He smiles down at Madzie and hugs her.

“Well someone has to, Madzie.  You wouldn’t believe the kind of trouble shadowhunters get into.”  

She nods as if she’s been exposed to his kind all her life and wholeheartedly agrees with Magnus’s statement.  

Alec grins at him and gestures towards the portal.  “Well, let’s go.  I’m hungry too.”  

Magnus steps through the portal and Alec lets go of Madzie’s hand long enough for the two of them to travel unhindered.  Then he smiles to himself as he steps through it as well.  

Alec doubts there’s any place in this world where Magnus might lead... that he won’t follow.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> as far as I'm concerned, the only real reason why Alec wouldn't call Magnus for help is because Alec didn't want to get in trouble with him


End file.
